[jdull99]

I think I get it......HE WAS THE PACE CAR DRIVER!!! LOL. THERE WERE A LOT OF CAUTIONS!!! LOL

[brsteg]

Originally Posted by jdull99 I think I get it......HE WAS THE PACE CAR DRIVER!!! LOL. THERE WERE A LOT OF CAUTIONS!!! LOL

[jjones752]

That's pretty funny, but was he the pace car driver all day (like JR used to be and Sarah is now for Indycar) or was he the CEREMONIAL pace car driver for just the start?

[darnall]

I gave up posting bashing-complaining posts years ago... clearly they have yet to be an effective way to get anything fixed... but since you asked...

I have had a belly full of all the rule/tech/format tinkering the boys down south do for more years than I can remember... pretty sure the 300 lap no lead change knee jerk restrictor plate race on the flat one mile Loudon, NH track was the straw that broke my camels back nearly 20 years ago. Im still horrified that one straightaway took a 4th generation driver from a legendary family and one of our own midwestern open wheel dirt slinging drivers within weeks...but when the first stuck throttle caused an injury the steering wheel killswitch should have been on every car 5 days later... instead they called it a freak tragedy, did nothing, then decided to make it a plate race on 20 hours notice when the same "freak tragedy" happened in the same spot.

If not for Smoke, Larson, Kahne and the other guys we have seen backin cars in at our home tracks being there I seriously wouldn't have watched 10 minutes of NASCAR in the last 15 years....and even with the 42 being so fast in spite of his team and the sanctions desire to fabricate JJ or Truex into the next legend I have no interest in watching 10 min of the crap today... with or without all the WWE type synthetic drama I can't stand it....for one simple reason... the on track racing sucks.

But that isn't specifically a NASCAR problem...I blame the atmosphere... I have no interest in any form of racing that is so stinkin aero dependent that you can't pass a car 2 seconds slower than you because of the turbulence in his wake. Basically the same reason I prefer my dirt track racing to be minus 33 sq ft of aluminum is the reason I can't watch NASCAR anymore....

BTW...please don't get me started on how they have ruined the brickyard 400 specifically.... 83 cars entered the inaugural fighting for 43 starting spots... one recent "rule" change means that theres no reason or ability for one car over 40 to show up to any race. And even though there was lots of drama and excitement in this years edition nothing I saw on any highlights or interviews leads me to believe the "racing" was good at the brickyard this year... they tore up lots of crap, they had lots of restarts, and they were on straightaways long enough that you could take shot at doing a draft slingshot until the car ahead was allowed to move 6 lanes to block you into the fence. 2 guys took turns letting the other pull in on restarts and then drove away from the field over and over...until they actually tried to RACE for the lead into turn one and the AIR caused them to wad em both up. On paper it would appear that the RACING was good... to me all that was good were the stats we use to describe how good a race was.

[ronmil]

On another thread, I did not comment on the race itself. I will say that I agree with the majority who watched it, that it was entertaining. Not good racing, but entertaining, nevertheless. After Busch and Truex took themselves out, everybody seemed to go nuts. I read one account that described it as a demolition derby with class. Ryan Newman described it as craziness. It was a long and strange day, but apparently it was a hit with the TV audience.
I am primarily a dirt track open wheel fan, but that doesn't mean I don't watch, and even enjoy, other forms of motorsport. I hope the Brickyard 400 is able to correct its' shortcomings and regain some of its' former luster. It would be bad for all motorsports if one of auto racings premiere events failed.